Family is More Than DNA
by LeoTheProbie
Summary: Skylar Leona is an orphan with no family members. Leroy Jethro is a Marine sniper turned Federal Agent with a team that'll do anything for each other, after all, family is more than DNA. When these two make their ways into each other's lives, things change for better or for worse. After all, you do what you have to for family. It's the unspoken rule.
1. Chapter 1

_Chapter 1: Adoption_

Gibbs sat at his desk in the orange walled bullpen. It was late June and there hadn't been many cases lately, so the team was working on cold cases. He looked across the room to see Tim doing some work on the computer, Tony chatting on his phone with someone, probably a girl, and Ziva reading a file from the small stack on her desk. His cell began to ring.

"Yeah, Gibbs." He said as he flipped the phone open.

" _Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, I'm Kaelyn Linda with Child Services."_

"What can I do for you Ms. Linda?" Gibbs said getting up from his desk and walking out of the squad room.

" _We have a child -a girl- that needs an adoptive parent and you're registered as a parent that can adopt."_

"That sounds great. Why don't you come by my house and she can get settled in today."

" _That sounds wonderful, Agent Gibbs. Does 3:00 sound good to you?"_

Gibbs smiled. "Yeah, that sounds great. I'll see you then." Gibbs closed his phone and walked up the stairs and into the Director's office.

"Leon," Gibbs said as he walked into the office. "Today's the day and I need my team benched for today only."

Leon Vance looked up from his desk. "Short notice, Jethro."

"I know, Leon. Just got the call. Adoption Agencies need to give a better heads up." Gibbs grumbled.

Vance sighed. "Alright. I expect your team in good shape tomorrow."

Gibbs nodded. "I'm gonna bring her in tomorrow so she can meet the team. I know she'd probably like a few friends."

"A girl, Jethro? I thought you'd be more of a boy kind of guy." Vance chuckled.

Gibbs furrowed his eyebrows. "I'll take what I can get, Leon."

"Just don't let her distract you from any case you might get." Leon said, tapping his keyboard.

"Thanks Leon, I owe you."

"What's Gibbs doing?" Tony asked as he put the phone back on the cradle.

"I am not sure," Ziva said, looking at Tony. "What do you think, Tim?"

"I don't know Ziva," McGee replied. "I bet Ducky or Abby would know. I'd say Ducky would know the most."

Gibbs walked back into the squad room with a half-smirk on his face. "Go home." He said, sternly to the team.

"But Boss it's only 1400." Tony said.

"Do you want to stay longer DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked.

"No Boss." Tony replied quickly.

"Boss, not to intrude, but what's with the smile?" McGee asked.

"Well, McGee, that's for you to find out tomorrow." Gibbs replied. He grabbed his gun and his badge out of the drawer in his desk and nodded before leaving the bullpen.

"Does Vance know that we've been given the day off by Gibbs?" Tony asked as soon as his boss left the room.

"I do, Agent DiNozzo," He said from behind DiNozzo. "Now, I suggest you all go get some rest. You have a big day tomorrow from what Gibbs told me."

"Yes, sir." The three agents on Team Gibbs replied before grabbing their things and walking to the elevator. All three got into the elevator and look at each other.

Tony flips the elevator switch between floors. "What do you think is up with Gibbs?"

"I do not know. But even Director Vance is in on it." Ziva replied. The Israeli woman sighed. "We just have to wait until tomorrow, Tony."

"Yeah, Tony," Tim said. "I think we should just wait."

"Fine, Probie," Tony said, flipping the elevator switch back on. "Who's up for drinks?"

Gibbs pulled into his driveway and smiled. He got out of his car and walked into his house. He set his keys down on the table next to the door and sat on the couch. He quickly changed into his jeans and red USMC sweatshirt before sitting on the couch and grabbing a book. He had a few minutes to read before he heard a knock on the door and said "Come in, it's open." He set down the book and got up. A black haired woman with brown eyes and wearing a pan suit came in, with an 11 year old child with light brown hair and green eyes behind her.

"Special Agent Gibbs," The woman says. "Kaelyn Linda, we talked on the phone." She introduced herself and put out her hand.

"Just call me Gibbs," he said back. "Who's this?"

The girl shuffled her feet and hid her face in her grey sweatshirt. "I-I'm Skylar Leona. Most people just call me Sky."

"Nice to meet you, Sky. I'm Gibbs." Gibbs said, crouching down to meet her brown eyes. He pushed her brown hair out of her face. "I'm gonna be taking care of you now."

Skye instantly looked up. "Really, mister?" She looked very curious and excited.

Kaelyn nodded at Sky. "Yeah, he is. This is Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs. He wants to be your new Daddy."

"Daddy? I've never had a daddy before." She said.

"You've never had a dad?" Gibbs asked, confused.

Sky nodded. "I had an Ette and an Enne. Ette means Dad and Enne means Mom in Tatar. They took good care of me."

"I promise I'll take just as good care of you." Gibbs said to the girl.

"Why don't you sit down on the couch while Special Agent Gibbs and I talk." Kaelyn said. "You can read that new book you got."

"Okay, Ms. Linda." Sky said. She grabbed her green plaid printed backpack. She pulled out _Warriors: The New Prophecy: Midnight_ by Erin Hunter and went to sit on Gibbs's couch.

Gibbs sat down at his dining room table and invited Kaelyn to join him. "So, what do I do?" He asked.

"Fill this out and she's your custody." Kaelyn said, placing a file on the table. "All of Skylar's information is in it."

Gibbs signed the papers and read through the file. "So, how did she end up in foster care? She seems like a good kid. A smart one too."

Kaelyn sighed. "Her parents separated when she was younger and she was in her father's custody. He was killed in a car crash when she was 8. Her mother cannot take her in due to the fact that she died right after the divorce. Skylar was in a coma for several weeks and then we came and took her in. She has no other family members who can take her in. Well, that we know of at least, apparently her grandmother on the mother's side lost contact with the grandfather a long time ago."

Gibbs looked at the little girl laying on his couch and reading the book in her hand. She laughed and smiled while reading. "Don't worry, she'll be in good hands."

"I don't doubt it Agent Gibbs. She starts school in August. She's enrolled in DC public schools and should be fine. She has asthma and hay fever, but no extraordinary allergies that we know of. I have her things in the trunk of my car. Her clothing and a few small items, nothing too much." Kaelyn said.

Gibbs got up from the table and nodded. "Alright, let me help you with that." He pushed in his chair and walked over to the door. Kaelyn followed him and they went out to her car. He grabbed a box from the trunk, set it down, and shook her hand. "Thank you."

"No, thank you, Agent Gibbs. I can just tell Skye's going to like it here." Kaelyn replied.

"Sky!" Gibbs called. "Come say goodbye to Ms. Linda!"

Sky ran out of the house and stood next to Gibbs. She hugged Kaelyn. "Thank you Ms. Linda!"

Kaelyn smiled. "You're welcome, sweetie. Be nice to Special Agent Gibbs. Hopefully, I won't be seeing you as a child up for adoption again."

"Yup! I promise! I'll be on my best manners."

"Alright. It's been a pleasure Agent Gibbs. Take care." Kaelyn said, standing up and getting into her car.

"You too." Gibbs added. He put his arm on Skye's shoulder as Kaelyn drove out of his driveway.

"Agent Gibbs?" Skye asked.

"Yeah?"

"C-Can we get lunch?"

"What do you want for lunch?"

Sky put her hand on her chin. "Hmmmm." She said, thinking. "Pizza!" She exclaimed.

Jethro nodded. "Alright, I'll call the pizza place."

Sky's eyes lit up. "Yay! Thank you Gibbs!" She hugged him and Gibbs hugged her back. Gibbs sighed and remembered the last time Kelly had said that to him. Sky pulled back and smiled. "Gibbs, what are we waiting for? I can hear your stomach growling! You must be hungry!" She laughed.

"I guess so. I'll call the place now." Gibbs added, smiling. "What do you want on it?"

"Pesto, garlic, and chicken... If that's alright with you, of course." Sky said quietly.

"Yeah." Gibbs ruffled her hair. "I'll take your things up to your room. Why don't I show you where you'll sleep?" He picked up the box and began up the stairs and into the Kelly's old bedroom. He set the box down and sat on the bed. The room had been converted into a guest room and Gibbs had put basic furnishings in it.

Skye followed Gibbs into the room. "Wow. G-Gibbs, is this all mine?"

"Yup. We can make it a bit more cozy this weekend. Right now, why don't you just put your things away?" Gibbs said.

Sky nodded and hugged Gibbs again. "Thank you Gibbs!"

Gibbs patted her back in reply and nodded. He opened up the box for her. "Get cracking, Sky."

Sky began sifting through the contents of the box as Gibbs went to go make the phone call to the pizza place. When Gibbs had come back in there were several books on the shelf, the drawers on the dresser were open and had a few outfits in them, a journal lay on the desk, and and several other items were still in the box. Sky sat behind the box and pulled out the next item. It was a red giraffe stuffed animal. She placed it on the bed behind her and sighed. "Redd, what if he doesn't like me? What if he doesn't actually want me?" She said to the toy.

Gibbs walked in from the doorway. "Hey." He said. He sat next to the girl and patted her back. "I want you. I promise. You'll love my family and they'll love you too. Promise."

"Really?" Sky asked. She was looking at her feet, trying not to look at Gibbs.

"Yup." Gibbs said. He ran his hand over the top of her head.

"Pinky promise?" Skye asked as she put her hand out.

"Pinky promise. I swear on my honor as a US Marine." Gibbs locked pinkies with her.

"You're a Marine? That's so cool!" Sky said with a gleam in her eyes. "That's like a real life superhero! Enne said I shouldn't join the army, 'cos of my asthma, but I think if I could I'd be great at it!"

"Well, why don't we wait till you're older to decide that. What else do you wanna be?" Gibbs asked.

"A doctor or a vet or a chef, like Ette, or an artist, or a spy, or a ninja, maybe a scientist or a teacher, or the president!" Skye listed things to her guardian.

Jethro laughed. "That sounds like a good list to me. I'd always wanted to be a Marine so just keep working at it and you'll get there, Sky."

"Thanks Gibbs. I'm glad you took me in." Sky smiled.

"Me too, kid." Gibbs ruffled her hair. "The pizza's downstairs. Why don't you come down and eat?"

"Alright,"

Sky and Gibbs walked down the stairs to the dining room, where there was a pizza box on the table. Sky sat at one of the seats and Gibbs sat across from her. He opened the pizza box and gave Sky a slice. Sky's eyes seemed to light up at the sight of the pesto, garlic, and chicken pizza. She took a large bite of it and smiled.

"Thank you!" Sky said with her voice muffled by the pizza in her mouth.

Gibbs smirked in response and took a bite of pizza. He had to admit, the kid had a good taste in pizza. Of course, Tony might say otherwise. Gibbs noticed that Sky had grabbed another slice while he was only half-way done with his first one. "Did they not feed you or something, kid?"

Sky cocked her head, confused. "They fed me. I just haven't had pizza in a long time."

Gibbs nodded. "Haven't had pizza in a while either. It's been a lot of Chinese and sandwiches lately."

Sky swallowed her bite. "Really? What do you do that makes you eat take out and stuff all the time?"

Gibbs pulled his NCIS ID out of his back pocket. "I'm a Navy Cop." He showed Sky the gold badge on the inside and his ID picture.

"So like, NYPD for the Navy?" Sky asked curiously. Gibbs only nodded in reply. "Wow! You're so cool!" Sky exclaimed.

Gibbs laughed and took a sip of his beer, which had been on the table. "I guess so. I've told you about me. Tell me a little about yourself."

Sky's face twisted into a thinking look. "My birthday is March 1st. My favorite colors are blue and red. I like to watch sunsets and the stars. I love to read books and draw pictures. I'm good at math and science but not that great at english. I play the trombone which the school rents to me. And uh… I'm a tomboy and I hate wearing dresses. I like to climb rocks and trees. I can surf and I'm kinda good at it. Swimming is my favorite thing to do on sunny days and I think that's it."

Gibbs smiled at the young girl. "Very adventurous. You remind me of my first daughter, Kelly. I had her with my first wife, Shannon. Kelly liked to climb everything."

"First wife?" Sky asked.

"Kelly and Shannon were killed in an accident. I remarried three times after that." Gibbs said.

"That's a lot of suits and dresses and flowers." Sky laughed. She picked at the chicken on her slice of pizza and put it down on the plate. "Do you miss them? Your family I mean?"

"Family's more than just DNA. It's about people who care and take care of each other." Gibbs simply said. "My family is always around me at work. Now, you're part of it too."

Sky smiled. "Thank you, Gibbs. I feel like I owe you a favor. The biggest one I have to give." She picked off a piece of chicken and popped it into her mouth. She finished off her slice of pizza and sighed.

Gibbs nodded. "It's no problem, Sky." Gibbs looked at the clock on the wall. It was almost 8:45. "Sky, I think it's time to get ready for bed. It's been a long day."

Sky yawned and nodded. "Okay. Can I take a shower first?"

"Yeah. Bathroom is the door next to your room." Gibbs said. "I'll be in the basement. Come and get me when you're done. Towels are in the cabinet in the bathroom. You can wear one of my shirts if you want."

Sky nodded and smiled. "Thank you. I'll be done quickly." She rushed up the stairs and Gibbs heard the water start running.

He walked down into the basement and poured a glass of bourbon for himself. He began slowly sanding his boat as he did most nights. He began to think about the girl he had taken in. Sky seemed like a good kid, albeit a little shy and nervous at first. She reminded him of Kelly in almost every way. Kelly was shy and nervous at first but a good kid. She was adventurous and brave, but always seemed to return to Daddy for help. But Gibbs couldn't help but think how Sky some what looked like DiNozzo and McGee. It was probably just the eyes and hair color but a lot of people had the same hair and eye colors as McGee and DiNozzo.

He heard footsteps down the basement stairs. "Gibbs?" Sky asked. She was wearing one of Gibbs' old NIS shirts and a pair of her sweats. "You down here?"

"Yeah." Gibbs replied. "Just sanding the boat."

"You built a boat in your basement?" Sky asked. "How do you get it out?"

"Trade secret. I'll teach ya later." Gibbs replied. He carefully began to sand the boat.

"Can I try?" Sky asked. Gibbs moved his hand so Sky could scoot under his arms. She did just that and put her hands on the sander.

"With the grain." Gibbs said as he guided her hands. Sky watched and followed Gibbs' movements. He let go of her hands and watched her gently yet firmly sand the boat. "Good."

Sky smiled. "This is really calming. I see why you like it." She stated. The small brunette girl yawned and rubbed her eyes.

Gibbs placed a hand on Sky's shoulder and gently guided her up to her room. He made sure Sky was tucked into bed before turning off the lights. "Good night, kid." He said to her, before closing the door.

 **A/N: I don't know anything about the adoption process so I'm very sorry if I'm wrong. Please feel free to message me if you have any information that you'd like to share!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Brothers and Sisters

Sky sat in Gibbs' yellow '71 Dodge Challenger and read her book. Gibbs was focused on the road but glanced over to his adoptive daughter once in a while. He wasn't sure if she was nervous about meeting the team or she just was uneasy in general. Gibbs had taken her to the diner early in the morning for breakfast. Sky cooped up and became a shy girl again. He didn't blame her, he would've been scared too if it was him.

He pulled into the Navy Yard and showed his NCIS ID to the security guard at the entrance. "Sky, we're almost at the office. Pack it up." He said. Sky looked over and put her book away. "Get ready to meet your brothers and sisters."

"Brothers and sisters?" Sky mumbled. "You have more kids?"

"Kinda." Gibbs explained. "They're like my kids, but they're not. I told you about Kelly last night. She's my only biological daughter. You're also legally my daughter. The rest are like a pseudo-family."

Sky's lips formed an 'O' shape. "That makes sense, I guess. Will I like them?"

Gibbs nodded as he pulled into a parking space. "I'm sure, kiddo." He parked the truck and got out. He watched as Sky got out on her side as well and walked over to him.

Gibbs walked over to the building entrance and walked past the secretary, flashing his badge and telling her Sky was with him. She let the pair pass and go into the elevator. When he got out of the elevator he led Sky into the bullpen and say her down in his desk. The rest of his team hadn't arrived yet so he figured he would go talk to Vance.

"Stay here, Sky. I'll be down soon. Gotta go talk to my boss." Gibbs said as he patted Skye on the head, which was covered by her grey hood.

"Okay, Gibbs." Skye replied as she pulled out her book and made herself comfortable at his desk.

Gibbs turned around to go up to Vance's office. "Leon." He said as he entered his office.

The director looked up from his work. "Gibbs. What can I do for you today?"

"Kid's downstairs. Thought you might wanna meet her." Gibbs replied.

Vance smiled. "Sure. What's her name?"

"Skylar Leona Gibbs. Likes to be called Sky."

"It's a good name, Gibbs. Almost like you picked it yourself." Vance replied. Gibbs only smirked in satisfaction.

Meanwhile, in the bullpen, Tony, Ziva, and Tim all got out of the elevator when they saw a kid sitting in Gibbs' desk.

"Who's the kid?" Tony asked Ziva and McGee.

"Not sure." McGee replied.

"Maybe Gibbs has a child. It would make sense, right?" Ziva replied. "The call, Vance letting us off early."

Tony pondered what Ziva had said. "Not a love child, that's for sure. She's not a redhead."

"Gibbs had brown hair when he was younger." Ziva replied. "It is possible. Plus it could have been a brunette."

Tim thought for a second. "Isn't Boss a registered adoptive parent? Maybe he adopted her."

"Nice deduction, McGee." Gibbs said as he walked by them. "You're right." He walked over to the girl reading and patted her head. "Meet Skylar Leona Gibbs. Newest member of the family."

Sky looked up at the three adults. "Are those my siblings?" She whispered to Gibbs.

"Yup. Sky, meet Ziva David, Timothy McGee, and Anthony DiNozzo Jr." Gibbs said. The team smiled.

Tony introduced himself first. "Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo Jr. Just call me Tony."

"Ziva David. A pleasure." Ziva smiled at the girl. Sky smiled back at Ziva shyly.

Tim offered his hand. "Timothy McGee. I go by Tim." Sky shakily took his hand and shook it.

"S-Skylar Leona Gibbs. N-nice to meet you guys." Sky said as she looked down, avoiding eye contact if necessary.

"I'll be back. Gonna get more coffee." Gibbs announced as he left the bullpen to the elevator.

"Skylar, what a pretty name." Ziva smiled.

"T-thanks. My Enne and Ette picked it." Sky said, shuffling her feet and still looking down.

Ziva put her hand under the girl's chin and lifted it gently. "Well, they had a good taste in names."

Sky blushed. "Your name is pretty too."

"My Ima and Abba picked it for me." Ziva smiled.

"Gibbs! Gibbs!" Abby said as she rushed into the squad room. Abby saw the girl sitting in Gibbs' chair. "You're not Gibbs." She said, puzzled.

Sky looked at the black haired woman. "I'm a Gibbs. Probably not the one you're looking for." Abby looked at Tim confused.

McGee looked at Abby and explained. "Gibbs adopted her last night. That's why we all got off early, so he could fill out the paperwork and stuff."

"You're my little sister?" Abby smiled. She shuffled over to Sky and hugged her.

"Si-sister?" Sky asked as she tried to breathe through the tight squeeze.

Tony chuckled as he sat down at his desk. "Abby is the forensic scientist. Also Gibbs' pseudo-daughter. Like Gibbs said, we're all family here."

"C-Can't breathe!" Sky managed to say through one of Abby's signature bone crushing hugs. "I-I have asthma!"

Abby let go of the eleven year old. "Sorry. I just got really excited! Abigail Sciuto, Forensic Scientist Extraordinaire. Call me Abby or Abbs."

"Skylar Leona Gibbs. Call me Sky, Abby or Abbs." Sky smiled, shyly.

Tony chuckled. "I already like you, kid. Making jokes on your first day." The Italian sat at his desk and logged into his computer. "So, how do you like the Bossman, Sky?"

Sky looked at Tony. "Bossman?" Tony looked at her and mouthed 'Gibbs'. "Oh! Gibbs! He's nice and all. He got pizza last night with my favorite toppings! He showed me his boat too! I like him as a dad. I've never had dad before. Just an Ette." Sky explained.

"He showed you his boat?" Ziva asked.

"Yeah!" Sky smiled. "He said I could help sometime!"

"Help?" Tony asked. "Wow, Sky. He's opened up to you faster than any of us."

"Even me!" Abby said. "So that's fast!" The goth woman smiled.

Ziva nodded in reply. "Yes, it is good to see Gibbs opening up." The Israeli woman leaned back in her chair and logged into her computer as well.

Sky put down her book and spun around in Gibbs' chair. "Is that everyone or is there more?"

McGee spoke up this time: "Yeah, there's Ducky, our ME, Jimmy, his assistant, and Director Vance. I think that's all you'd need to know for now."

Sky's mouth formed and 'O' shape. "His name is Ducky?"

"That's what everyone asks." McGee laughed. "His name is Dr. Donald Mallard, so we all call him Ducky."

Sky laughed. "Like Donald Duck and a Mallard Duck! That makes sense!" The hood on her head had fallen back to reveal her light brown hair.

Ziva looked at Tony and smiled. "She looks a bit like you, Tony." She whispered to him.

"It's true." McGee chuckled quietly. He watched as Abby and Sky conversed, happily speaking to each other. He nudged Tony and went over to join the two girls.

Tony groaned. "Alright, yeesh. Get back to cold cases, Probie and Probette." He nudged Ziva toward her desk and smirked. Tony looked at the Gibbs girl sitting at his boss's desk. "You." He began. "Come with me, I'll take you to meet Ducky and Black Lung."

Sky tried to speak up to ask about 'Black Lung' when Tim said something. "Jimmy." McGee smirked.

"Tony I can go! You can stay here and be in charge." Abby said. "Sky and I'll be besties by the time we get down to autopsy! Just make sure that Ducky doesn't have any guests on the table, will ya?" Abby took Sky by the wrist and made her get up.

"Abby!" Sky yelped. "At least let me put up my hood!" The girl shook her wrist out of her grip and flipped up the grey hood. She only briefly ran her hand over her wrist before Abby grabbed her wrist. "Abbs!"

"Come on! I'll show you Bert and Major Mass Spec!" Abby smiled as she bounced to the elevator.

Tony picked up his desk phone and dialed autopsy. "Jimmy, that you?"

"Hey Tony! What can I do for you?" Jimmy answered in autopsy.

"Abby's bringing someone down for you and Ducky to meet. There any bodies lying about?" Tony replied.

"No. I'll tell Dr. Mallard and you can give Abby the clear." Jimmy chuckled. "See ya."

"Bye." Tony said and put the phone back in the cradle.

"DiNozzo! Where's the kid?" Gibbs asked as he came into the bullpen.

McGee looked up from his cold case. "You just missed her. Abby took her down to her lab and then autopsy."

"Aw jeez, McGee." Gibbs groaned. He sighed and ran to the elevator. "DiNozzo! Get over here! Now!"

"On your six, boss!" Tony said as he ran over to Gibbs.

"You shoulda told me that Abby had taken her down a few minutes ago!" Gibbs growled before smacking Tony on the back of the head and getting into the elevator. "Back to the bullpen!" Gibbs slammed the button for the forensics lab.

"Abby! Stop! I don't want to go to autopsy!" Gibbs heard Sky yelling as he stepped out of the elevator. Sky noticed Gibbs as he stepped into the forensics lab. "Oh thank God!" She quickly escaped Abby's very tight grasp and ran behind Gibbs. "Gibbs! She's trying to take me to autopsy! I don't wanna go!"

"I'm sorry Gibbs! I didn't know she didn't like autopsy!" Abby began. "Sky was being really quiet and not speaking up!" She was hugging Bert and had a somewhat sad look on her face.

"Hey, Sky, if I took you down there would you wanna go?" Gibbs asked the girl. Sky shook her head 'no'. "Alright, I'll get Ducky and Palmer up to the squad room then. Abbs, no means no next time from her, got it?"

"Yeah, Gibbs." Abby said, sighing. "Sorry lil' Gibbs."

"I-It's fine." Sky quietly mumbled.

"Is it okay if I ask why you don't like autopsy?" Abby asked. "Of course you don't have to answer!"

Sky shuffled. "Maybe another day… I thought you guys might recognize me but I guess not. That's okay though."

Abby gave Sky a confused look. "Oh!" Abby realized. "You're the daughter of the Staff Sergeant Talia Swift!" Sky nodded and she had large crocodile tears in her eyes.

Gibbs looked down at Sky. "C'mere, kiddo." He gave Sky a hug and kissed the top of her head.

Abby shrugged, looking defeated. "I didn't know. And I'm sorry I didn't recognize you. I remember that case. Your father was the main suspect while you were at summer camp. You didn't find out till you got home. You came to see Ducky at one point when he still had the body."

Sky nodded. "She was a hero and she didn't deserve to die. I'm glad you guys caught the guy who did that her."

"Me too, kid. Me too." Gibbs said, holding Sky tightly.

"I remember now!" Tony announced.

Ziva looked up from her work. "Remember what, Tony?"

"Where I saw the kid before!" Tony jumped out of his seat and went over to McGee. "Probie, pull up case file 7289-Alpha-Foxtrot-Romeo-7."

"Why?" McGee asked. "That's a case we did a few years ago."

Ziva curiously got up and walked over to McGee's desk and sat on it. "The Swift case?"

"On the nose, David! Sky's the kid! The kid of the Staff Sergeant!" Tony said, tapping Ziva's nose. "Everyone thought that the Staff Sergeant was my sister or something but there are no Swifts in my family." The green-eyed Italian recalled the case and some people giving him their condolences.

"But, there are no things as coincidences. Something must be up." Ziva stated. "Maybe a long lost relative?" She grabbed McGee's keyboard and pulled up the DNA samples that Abby had taken from the Staff Sergeant and Tony's own DNA samples. "See they are similar? Sibling similar."

"I've never had a sibling! Ask Senior!" Tony said, putting his hands up in defense. "It's not like I knew her anyway!"

"McGee! Please tell me that Tony is being irrational!" Ziva said, pulling the unwilling agent into the conversation.

McGee sighed. "Whatever. I thought you said we were supposed to be working, Tony."

"I do believe that Jethro told me that you were all working." Ducky said as he walked into the bullpen with Jimmy on his heels. "Speaking of Jethro, where is he?"

"He went down to Abby's lab. He'll probably be up soon." McGee told the old doctor. The elevator dinged and Gibbs was walking out of the elevator, followed by Sky. "Speak of the devil himself."

Ducky smiled. "Ah, hello Jethro! Young Skylar, I haven't seen you in a few years! You look wonderful!"

"Thank you Dr. Mallard. You look well yourself." Sky smiled. "I wish that we had been meeting for the first time, but circumstances say otherwise."

"I couldn't agree more. You remember Mr. Palmer, correct?"

"Yeah." Sky nodded. "Hi Jimmy. Nice to see you again."

Jimmy smiled. "Same to you, Sky."

"Wow, that was faster than these three and Abby." Gibbs said. "Glad you recognized her right away, Duck."

"Boss! It didn't take that long!" Tony butted in. "It took maybe 45 minutes, tops."

Sky sighed. "It's fine. I didn't expect anyone to recognize me right away. Gibbs, I expected because he saw my file right away."

Tony sighed. "C'mere, kid. Lemme tell you something." Sky approached Tony carefully and looked at him. He covered his mouth with his hands and whispered into her ear. She giggled and he laughed. "So?"

"Okay!" Sky giggled again. She sat on Tony's desk as he began to tell her things.

"What's going on over there?" Ziva asked. She peered at Tony and Sky who were laughing and talking.

"I'm not sure. She took an immediate liking to Tony. You would think that he's her uncle or something." McGee laughed.

"I thought Tony was afraid of children?" Ziva curiously questioned.

"She's not in the age range that he's scared of." McGee replied. "Why don't you go ask her what they're talking about, she seemed to like you."

"But she has your personality, Tim. Maybe you two would bond best, yes?" Ziva asked.

"I don't know. How about we get her away from Tony before he destroys her innocence first, and then see what else'll happen." Tim said. He looked back over to the SFA and the new family member. He smiled. Tony was just as good with kids as Gibbs was.

"Sky! Stop talking to your boyfriend!" Gibbs called to his new daughter.

Sky turned her head to Gibbs and cocked her head in confusion. "Boyfriend?"

"I would never date Sky, boss! She's too young! Way too young!" Tony quickly objected.

"Better not, DiNozzo." Gibbs said, slapping Tony's head. Sky flinched at the sound of Gibbs' hand smacking Tony's head. "We got a meeting with the Director." Gibbs said. "Come on."

"Yes, Gibbs! Bye Tony, Tim, Ziva! See ya Ducky, Jimmy, Abbs." Sky said, waving as she followed Gibbs.

Gibbs waited at the bottom of the stairs for Sky. "I think you'll like the Director."

"Ms. Jenny, right?" Sky asked, remembering the director from her mother's case. Gibbs and Jenny were nice to her and she thought that they were amazing people to help look after the 9 year old daughter of a dead marine.

Gibbs shook his head. "She uh... Passed a few years ago. The new one is Leon Vance. He's got a few kids your age."

Sky nodded. "Okay... Well I'm sorry for your loss, Gibbs." She sighed. "I liked her a lot."

"I did too." Gibbs replied. He sighed and grabbed Sky's shoulder gently. "Let's go. We can talk more about Jenny later." He continued up the stairs with the girl on his heels. He turned and walked past MTAC and into the outer office, where Vance's secretary sat. "He in, Pamela?" Gibbs asked the woman.

"Yes. He's expecting you Agent Gibbs." She replied. Sky peered out from behind Gibbs. "And who are you?" Pamela asked Sky, kindly smiling.

Sky looked down at her shoes. "I'm Sky. I, uh, I was a witness, uh, uh, in a case a few years ago." She nervously smiled and avoided eye contact with the secretary.

Gibbs grunted. "Let's go." He led Sky into Vance's office. She sat in one of the chairs at the conference table. "Leon." Gibbs said. "Meet Sky."

"Nice to meet you, Sky. My name's Leon Vance. I'm the director." Vance offered his hand in a handshake.

Sky carefully took his hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you, sir."

"You don't have to call me sir. I work for a living." Vance smiled, looking at Gibbs who rolled his eyes.

Sky looked between the two men confused. "Isn't that what Gibbs says?"

"Yeah." Gibbs grunted. He took a sip of his coffee and placed it down on the desk. "Leon has kids about your age."

Vance nodded. "Jared and Kayla would like to meet you, I think. You'll be going to school with them. You can meet them soon if you want."

"I'd like that." The green-eyed girl smiled. She got up from her seat. "Uh, I gotta use the head. Sorry, excuse me."

"Have Ziva show you where it is. Just go down to the bullpen and tell her." Gibbs said, patting the girl on the back as she left. Gibbs and Vance watched her leave, as if she had her tail between her legs. "Why is she so scared, Leon?" Gibbs asked. "She seems afraid of everyone."

Vance sighed. "I don't know, Gibbs. Neither of mine were shy like her." He looked at a few files on his desk. "These are for you to sign. HR wanted you to sign these. With the addition of a minor to your insurance and-"

"I get it Leon." Gibbs picked up the files. "Thanks." Gibbs turned and left Vance's office. He watched as Ziva led Sky to the bathroom and sighed. " _Jen… You woulda been proud of me and the team… Woulda been proud of Sky too…"_ He thought.

"Boss! We got a call out!" Tony yelled up to Gibbs.

"I'm coming, get Ziva! Tell Sky to go down to Abby's lab!" Gibbs yelled, heading down to his desk and grabbing his badge and gun. "This is gonna be a long day." He groaned inwardly.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Of Stories and Wake Up Calls

Gibbs got out of the car and walked straight into the house, practically diving on to the couch after taking off his coat and shoes. He groaned and released a large sigh. He rolled over and closed his eyes, feeling ready to fall asleep. He looked at his watch, it was almost 11 pm. He couldn't believe that he had only introduced Sky to the team that morning.

"Gibbs? Is that you?"

Crap. He knew he had forgotten about something. The kid, Sky, was still awake. He forgot that he had Abby bring her home. He heard the stairs cream as she came down them. Gibbs watched her silhouette in the darkness.

"Gibbs?"

"Mhm?"

"Oh were you sleeping? I'm sorry. I just wanted to make sure it was you."

"'S fine. Why're you still up, Sky?"

"I couldn't sleep. I had a bad dream."

"Bête noire."

"What?"

"Bête noire. It means bad dream or nightmare in French." Gibbs stated. "My friend told me that one a few years ago."

Sky looked curious. "A friend?"

"Yeah. Her name was Kate. She was a good agent. Died protectin' me." Gibbs said, solemnly.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I just. Uh. I was just wondering if, uh, you... You could tell me a story or somethin'. I know it sounds dumb for an eleven year old but I like stories." Sky nervously said. She held her red giraffe tightly in her arms. Her green eyes were full of worry and fear.

Gibbs sighed. He remembered Kelly being like that when she had nightmares. He knew that she was soothed by a song or story as well. "Yeah, come here." He sat up and patted the couch. "What do ya wanna hear about?"

Sky carefully made her way to the couch like she was walking on glass. "Uh... I dunno."

Gibbs sighed. "I know. I'll tell you about Mike Franks. He just died. He woulda been kinda like your uncle."

"Uncle Mike? I like it." Sky smiled. She curled up next to Gibbs and rested her head on his lap.

"You woulda liked him. He was like a cowboy. He was my boss. Called me 'Probie' like Tony calls McGee. He got involved with me right after Shannon and Kelly's deaths. He was the lead investigator in their case." Gibbs said. "Mike was a good man. He retired to Mexico and I lived there with him for a while in 2006. He smoked at least a pack a day, everywhere. Maybe he wouldn'ta been too good for you cause he smoked, but he woulda changed I bet. He lived in a beach house, small, sturdy, he built it himself. He had an old pick up truck that broke down. When I lived there I had a moustache and a beard but when I got back I had to shave it off. Jenny said so. Never had it since." Gibbs chuckled at the thought of the moustache.

Sky sleepily laughed. "He sounds cool." She cooed slightly as Gibbs stroked her hair.

Gibbs agreed. "He was cool." He continued to stroke her hair. "He taught me some of my rules. He shaped me to be the agent I am now." Gibbs watched as the girl sleepily closed her eyes and drifted off. "Night, Sky." He watched as the girl's breathing eased out and was calm in her sleep. He picked the red giraffe up from off the floor and placed it in the crook of her elbow. He leaned back on the couch and sighed, closing his eyes and falling asleep.

 _RING! RING! RING!_

Gibbs' eyes shot open. He tried to stand up but remembered the girl's head on his lap. He reached over to the coffee table and grabbed his phone. "Yeah, Gibbs." He answered sleepily.

 _"Boss?"_ McGee asked. _"Did I wake you up?_

"Yeah, McGee." Gibbs responded. "What's up?" He began to gently stroke Sky's hair again.

 _"Well, it's oh-nine-hundred and we got a new lead."_ McGee stated _. "Ziva and Tony went to go interview the lead and Abby's running tests. Vance hasn't asked where you are yet but when he does I'll hold him off."_

"Thanks, McGee." Gibbs added. "I'll be in soon. Sky and I fell asleep late and I forgot to set an alarm. You, Ducky, Palmer, and Abby'll be on kid duty all day."

 _"Alright boss. See you later."_

Gibbs shut his cell and looked down at Sky. "Sky, up and at 'em. It's time for mess."

Sky's eyes shot open and she sat up. "Yes, sir!" She announced. She relaxed when she noticed where she was. "Oh. Well, you sure do know how to wake up a Marine brat."

"I used to have one. Now I got another one. Shouldn't be hard." Gibbs said. He stood up and stretched. "I'm gonna get dressed, start coffee, and make breakfast. You gotta get ready. You'll be at the Yard all day."

"Okay! I'll get to see Timmy and Abby and Ducky and everyone else, right?" Sky asked, excited.

"Mhm." Gibbs said, heading into the kitchen. "I'll fix ya something and we can go." He turned on the coffee pot and opened the fridge.

"Gibbs! Abby left some blueberry muffins in the fridge! We made it last night!" Sky called from the living room. "I'm going to get dressed!" He heard the patter of footsteps up the stairs, the second to last stair from the top creaking as usual.

He saw the plate of saran wrapped muffins and a little note on top written in Abby's slightly messy handwriting. _Have a nice breakfast El Jefe! -Abbs_

He smiled and grabbed the plate. He set it on the counter and opened the plastic covering, being careful not to tear it. He took one of the large muffins and tore off the wrapping. He took a bite of it and smiled. "Not half bad." He finished the muffin by the time the coffee machine started beeping, alerting him the coffee was done. "Sky!"

"Yeah?" Came the call from upstairs as some shuffling was heard.

"Come on!" He yelled. "You gotta eat so I can change!"

"Coming!" He heard Sky shuffling down the stairs, a backpack in hand. "Yeah!"

"Come on, eat one of these and I'll be down in a sec." Gibbs said, turning to leave the kitchen. "You don't-"

"Mess with mess. Enne used ta tell me that all the time. Marines think alike, Gunny." Sky laughed. She wore the same sweatshirt as the previous day but with khaki shorts instead of jean shorts. "Was it good?"

"Yeah. How'd you know I was a Gunny?" Gibbs asked, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He watched as Sky grabbed a muffin and sat down at the table, tearing off the paper and taking a bite.

"The way you held yourself and walked. Proud and tall, but not too cocky. A strong leader but still takes orders, even if you don't like 'em." Sky replied, swallowing her food. Gibbs watched as Sky ran her hand through her hair, trying to get out knots.

"You need a brush?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah."

Gibbs nodded. "Abby's got one and I'm sure Ziva does too. You can brush your hair at the Yard. I'll be down in a second." Gibbs quickly ran upstairs to change. He took off his red polo and swapped it out for a light blue one the switched his black pants to dark grey ones.

Gibbs came back down to see Sky tossing the muffin wrapping in the trash. He put his shoes and coat on.

Gibbs watched as Sky tied her black converse, carefully pulling the knots tight. "You ready?" He asked.

Sky nodded. She stood up, grabbing her bag from the couch and another muffin. "Do you think I can take a bunch of these? I snack a lot."

"Just toss 'em in a plastic bag and let's go." Gibbs grunted. "I'm gonna start the car." He stepped outside and put his keys in the ignition.

Sky rushed out of the house, backpack slung over shoulder and bag of muffins in her hand. She tripped over the bottom step, slipping before landing on her hands and knees. "Ow!" She cried.

Gibbs looked up. "You alright?"

"Yeah, fine." Sky responded, getting up and wiping any gravel off her knees.

Gibbs crouched down to look at her knees. "Let's get a bandaid on this one." He said, indicating her left knee. "It's starting to bleed."

"I'm fine." Sky grumbled. "I have a band aid in my bag, just grab it." She looked away from Gibbs, avoiding eye contact.

Gibbs sighed and opened the green plaid printed backpack. He found the bandages in the front pocket. "You don't have to be embarrassed. I hurt myself on the job in silly ways sometimes." He placed it on Sky's knee and smiled. "You sure are prepared."

"I had to be." Sky said. "And it's what my parents taught me." Sky was a Marine brat through and through: prepared, tough, and adaptable.

"Ya know, all the kids I've worked with liked a kiss on the band aid when they're done putting it on." Gibbs said.

Sky smiled slightly. "Really? Even the teenagers?"

"Yup. Even DiNozzo. He hates to admit it though." Gibbs chuckled. "Always wants Ziva or the pretty nurse to kiss it all better."

Sky laughed. "Tell him I'll do it next time."

"I will." Gibbs smiled. "You want a kiss on that band aid?"

Sky sighed softly. "Yeah okay, Gibbs." Gibbs placed a peck to Sky's bandaid covered knee. She smirked and laughed gently. "Thanks."

"Come on. We got work to do." Gibbs said, taking the backpack and tossing it in the backseat. Sky climbed into the backseat, tossing the muffins in her bag.

Gibbs made sure Sky was buckled in before starting the drive to the Navy Yard. By the time they got to the Yard, Sky had started a new book, finishing the one from two days before.

"You read awfully fast." Gibbs stated. He examined the book she was reading. "Deep Six? Aren't you a bit young for that?" He was fully aware of her reading it, in fact, he watched her take it off the shelf.

Sky looked up. "No. I'm very advanced at reading for my age level. Math, too." Sky turned the page. "As for the book, it was sitting there and I finished mine. I know it's a bit violent, I figured you wouldn't mind."

"I don't mind. Show McGee when you get to the office. He loves Deep Six. My copy was a gift from a friend." Gibbs explained, wanting Sky to get close to McGee.

"Did you like it? Gemcity's a great writer." Sky commented, turning the page again.

"I liv-, er, liked it." Gibbs said. He sighed remembering the debacle with McGee's book. He practically lived the main events of the book for that case. "Come on. We're here." He got out of the car and closed the door, followed by Sky. They made their way into the building and up to the bullpen.

"Hi, Tim!" Sky smiled, walking over to McGee's desk.

"Hey, Sky." McGee said. "What's up?" The young agent was typing away at his computer. "Vance didn't come by, boss. Ziva and Tony'll be back soon." Gibbs only nodded.

"I'm reading a new book!" Sky smiled. "And Abby and I made muffins last night. Did you want one?" Sky pulled the muffins out of her bag and put one on McGee's desk.

"Thanks." Tim smiled. "Put one on Tony's and Ziva's desk too. I'll take you to see Ducky and Jimmy if you're up for it so you can give them one." He knew about Sky's incident with autopsy yesterday so he was leaving the invitation to the morgue open ended.

"Uh, maybe." Sky nervously replied. She walked over to Tony's desk and set a muffin next to the Mighty Mouse stapler. He placed the muffin on Ziva's desk before walking back over to McGee. "Gibbs told me to tell you about the book I'm reading!"

McGee smiled at the girl. "Yeah? What book?"

Sky shuffled around her backpack. "Deep Six: Rock Hollow!" She pulled out the book.

McGee's looked up from his computer and then he smiled. "Cool. You know, I met Gemcity."

"You did?" Sky's eyes lit up with excitement. "Wow! Was he cool?" Gibbs chuckled at Sky and McGee.

"Yup. But not as cool as Gibbs." McGee confirmed.

Sky's mouth formed an 'o' shape. "Gibbs, did you ever meet Gemcity?"

Gibbs' mouth formed into a smile. "You're talking to him, Sky."

The green eyed girl cocked her head in confusion. "Which one of you? You're both a him and I'm talking to both of you."

"Me. I'm Thom E. Gemcity. Nice to meet you." McGee smiled. "Also I'm the one Agent McGregor is based on."

"Wow!" Sky smiled. "You're a great writer, Timmy! I wish I was that good." She pulled out a notebook and put it on his desk. "I used to write stories before the accident. Maybe you could help me sometime?"

"I don't know I'd have to ask Agent Tibbs about that." McGee laughed, looking at Gibbs.

Sky furrowed her eyebrows. "Agent Tibbs? But he's fictional?"

"I'm Tibbs." Jethro added. "McGee based all of the characters off of us."

"Oh. That makes sense." Sky said, walking over to sit at Tony's desk. "Who am I, then?"

"I don't know. I haven't written you in but I guess I can. Your character can be in book 3. You can help me come up with a name for her." McGee said, turning his chair.

"Yeah!" Sky cheered.

Gibbs' phone rung, and he answered it with a standard, "yeah Gibbs." He listened and nodded. "Yeah, okay. Thanks DiNozzo." He turned to McGee and Sky. "I gotta go. Behave."

"Yes, Gibbs." "Yeah, Boss." Came the replies. Gibbs nodded and headed out, leaving McGee and Sky to themselves.

 _ **A/N: I actually wrote most of this while there was a fire alarm at school. There was technical difficulties and it was like half an hour.**_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: McMarley and Me

"So, Tim, what are we gonna do all day?" Sky sighed, lounging in Tony's chair with her feet up on his desk. She was reading _Deep Six: Rock Hollow_ , for the third time. It had been at least fifteen minutes since Gibbs left to track down a lead for the current case.

Sky had been hanging around the office for about a month now. She knew everyone by name and said good morning to almost all of them now that she wasn't as timid as she used to be.

"First," McGee said, standing up and grabbing Sky's bag from behind Tony's desk. "You should sit in Gibbs' desk. I mean, Tony is protective of his space." He wiped the gravel off of Tony's desk and on to the floor.

"Okay. Then what?" Sky said, taking the bag and hopping over to Gibbs' desk and plopping down in Gibbs' chair.

McGee sighed and tapped his chin with a pen. "Well, I have some stuff running and it won't be done for a while. Maybe we can go to lunch later. And we can see Abby, Ducky, and Jimmy. What do you wanna do?" The Field Agent asked.

Sky shrugged. "Not sure. Can you help me write, maybe?" She put the book down and sighed. She took the battered notebook out of her bag and set it on the table.

"Can I read these?" Tim asked the girl. "You said you wrote these before the accident. Was it something your dad liked to do?" McGee was careful when bringing up Sky's parents, as he knew it was hard for her, having two parents who were separated with one away in countries where she could die, only to be killed at home, and the other a working parent who was killed in a car crash, which had injured Sky as well.

Sky nodded slowly. "Ette loved to read my stuff. He was good at helping me too. I just never..." Sky paused, taking a deep breath, shakily breathing. "He..." Her eyes welled up and she sniffled. She let out a quiet sob, which alerted McGee.

McGee quickly stepped over to Gibbs' desk and placed his hand on the girl's shoulder. "Hey, it's okay. I'm sorry." He squatted down to give her a hug. "I didn't mean to bring up anything bad, alright?" He felt Sky nod as she pressed her teary face into his shoulder. He signed and ran his hand up and down her back, trying to calm the brunette. "Abby can take you for ice cream too. She loves ice cream."

"I like ice cream." Sky quietly said.

"What's your favorite? Mine's Rocky Road." McGee said.

Sky pulled away from McGee's hug. "Um... Strawberry and mint chip and pumpkin in the fall."

McGee smiled. "Yeah? I like pumpkin ice cream too. I'll take you to get one some time in the fall. Just me and you." The MIT graduate wiped the tears away from Sky's face. He grabbed a tissue from his pocket and gave it to her.

She took it and wiped the tears and snot from the runny nose off her face. "I'm sorry, Tim. I... I didn't mean to cry and make you feel bad." Sky whimpered, much like Ziva had after Somalia. "I just... Miss my Ette and Enne. They taught me everything and I feel... Worthless and dumb without them."

Tim nodded slowly. "I know what you mean. My dad, he used to be my hero but we started not getting along. He's an admiral and was never home." Tim pressed a kiss to Sky's hair. "You aren't dumb or worthless." The dirty blond man ran his hand over Sky's chestnut hair and stopped his hand at her mid back, rubbing it in circles.

"Really?" Sky whispered, her voice barely audible.

"I'm sure." Tim assured. He grabbed her hands and squeezed them gently. "Let's go see Abby. Maybe she'll let you squeeze Bert. Squeezing him makes everyone feel better."

Tim was shocked at the next hig from Sky. She buried her head in his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his torso. "Squeezing you makes me feel better." She simply remarked.

It was in that second, McGee felt his big brother instincts kick in. "My sister, Sarah, used to say that when she was sad too." He remembered that when Sarah was sad he used to sit with her and they would watch movies together. Sarah loved to hug him when she was little.

"You have a sister?"

"Yup. She's in college. English major." Tim replied. "You're like her. Smart, strong, brave."

Sky blushed. "T-thanks, Tim." She furiously covered her face and sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cry. I just miss them." Sky wiped a tear from her cheek.

Tim nodded. "You know, I guess you're my sister now too. At least, according to Gibbs." He stood up and looked at the clock. "I think it's time for a break." He grabbed his coat from his chair and smiled. "Let's go. We can get ice cream or something." He noticed the red inhaler on the desk and snatched it, slipping it into his pocket.

"Ice cream at ten thirty AM? Is Gibbs okay with-" Sky asked, giggling.

McGee smiled and cut her off. "What Gibbs doesn't know won't hurt him. And I think you deserve it, you've been very brave." He grabbed her hand and pulled Sky up. She laughed gently and followed McGee into the elevator. "Hit the button, will ya?" McGee asked.

Sky slammed the button and then high fived Tim. "Yeah! What kind of ice cream are you gonna get, Timmy?"

"When did I get upgraded from Tim to Timmy?" McGee chuckled, walking out of the elevator.

Sky smirked. "About five seconds ago. I think that hug upgraded you. And then ice cr-" Sky said, walking into someone and falling back. "Oh! I'm so sorry!"

"Hey, it's okay, kid." The person said, reaching his hand down to help Sky up. "Just watch where you're going next time."

"Thank you." Sky smiled. "Uh..." She found herself at a loss of words, trying to figure out the man's name.

McGee smiled. "Agent Fornell! What are you doing here?" He shook Fornell's hand.

"This child belong to you, McGee?" Fornell asked, chuckling.

McGee nodded his head. He put his hand on Sky's shoulder. "Sky, meet FBI Special Agent Tobias Fornell. Fornell, this is Sky. Gibbs has me watchin' her for the day."

"Hi. I'm sorry I bumped into you, Agent Fornell." Sky acknowledged.

"Speaking of Gibbs, where is the old bastard?" Fornell asked McGee. "I'm here to see him about your case."

"Gibbs is out on a lead. You can wait in the bullpen if you want. I'm taking Sky out for a walk. She was getting antsy." McGee explained. The younger agent nodded. "I'll give him a call, let him know you're here when he gets back."

"Thanks McGee. Nice meeting you Sky." Fornell nodded, getting into the elevator and heading up to the bullpen. He unlocked his iPhone and called Gibbs. "Boss. Fornell's waiting for you in the bullpen. Yeah. We're just going for a walk, she's getting antsy. Yeah. See ya boss." McGee hung up and put his phone in his pocket.

"Gibbs?" Sky inquired. She walked next to McGee, trying to keep up with his long strides.

"He's gonna be back in an hour or two. I told him we're going out for a walk." Tim informed Sky. He smiled and stopped in front of his car. "Hop in, kiddo." Sky sat in the back seat and put on her seatbelt, seeing McGee do the same. He started the car and drove for a while, until he got to an area near the Washington monument. "Come on." He got out of his car and watched as Sky got out, her brown hair bouncing around her shoulders.

"McGee! It's hot as hell in 'Bama and humid as New York! Why are you wearing a coat and pants?" Sky groaned. She covered her eyes with her hand and looked up at McGee. He didn't even seem phased by the weather and humidity.

McGee chuckled. "I'm dying actually, but I'm used to it." He looked down at Sky and began strolling along. She followed him like a lost puppy, not knowing any other familiar faces.

"Where are we going?" Sky asked of the field agent. The green eyed girl slid past people in an effort not to loose McGee in the crowd of tourists.

"Come on." McGee grabbed Sky's hand and walked beside her. He led her to a small shady area slightly away from the monument, but not too far away. He sat down and took off his coat, revealing a plain blue t-shirt.

Sky curiously sat next to him. "What are we doing?"

"Getting fresh air. Also, we're waiting until the ice cream place by the Navy Yard opens." He informed Sky.

"Ah." Sky nodded. She watched the people walking by and sighed. "Enne used to take me around here sometimes. We liked people watching. She used to be stationed at Quantico, so this is what we did in her spare time. We'd come up and see the sights."

"I remember that. She had a clean record too." McGee recalled. "Never had anyone complain about her."

Sky smiled fondly. "Yeah. Only Ette ever did that. They never tried to be friends after the divorce. I would hear them yell on the phone sometimes." She admitted.

The green eyed girl peered at McGee. He wrapped an arm around her and kissed her head. "Sometimes parents don't get along, it's natural. Just know the divorce wasn't your fault and they both loved you."

Sky blushed. "Yeah. I've been told that so many times." She leaned on to McGee and closed her eyes.

McGee stroked her hair. "We love you, you know. It's only been two a month for the team and a little more for Gibbs, but we really care. You're family." Sky smiled and let out a small purr as McGee continued to stroke her hair. "You're like a cat." He chuckled.

"My middle name does mean lion, Tim." Sky purred. She nuzzled his shoulder and opened her eyes, her green eyes staring into his.

"It does, huh. Do you growl too?" Tim remembered.

Sky nodded. "Like Gibbs when I'm angry. I also hiss sometimes."

Tim chuckled. "You really are a little cat. I'm gonna call you lion."

Sky blinked and smiled at the nickname. Sky watched the people and saw one guys staring at them. "Tim, that guys is staring at us. I think he has been for a while."

Tim furrowed his eyebrows. "That's not good. Come on. It's time to go anyway." Tim stood up and grabbed Sky's hand, pulling her through the crowd.

She followed, trying not to stumble as McGee pulled her toward his car. Her eyes flicked between McGee and the crowd. She noticed that the guy was following her and she freaked out. "McGee! He's following us!" She cried out.

"Come on!" He said, pushing her over the top of a car, jumping behind her. He grabbed Sky's hand, sprinting. She got pulled along before she started to catch up.

"I'm gonna need my inhaler after this, Tim!" Sky panted, trying to keep up with the man. She didn't look behind her, but she knew the mysterious guy was still chasing them. McGee pulled her through a large group of tourists, losing the guy following them.

"I know!" Tim blurted. "Almost to my car!"

Sky nodded and coughed. "Good! I can't…" She coughed again. Her breathing started to shallow. "Inhaler!"

McGee stopped, sliding into a large bunch of trees. "You okay?" He asked, pulling the medication out of his pocket and handing it to Sky.

She took in two puffs of the inhaler and nodded. "Yeah… Who was that guy?"

McGee was trying to catch his breath. "I'm not sure. I know general description and height so we should be able to see if we can find him in a database. You see any distinguishing marks?"

Sky sat down, tears in her eyes. "I… I, uh… His arm under his t-shirt a, uh, uh, tattoo of a- a bird." She shakily mumbled.

"Hey," McGee whispered, crouching down. "You did good, lion." He gently reached out and cupped her face. "Take a few deep breaths and then we'll go to my car."

Sky nodded and pressed herself against McGee. She took very shaky breaths and curled up in his arms. McGee wrapped his arms around her in a comforting manner.

"Ready?"

"Y-yeah."

"Okay, let's go." McGee said, helping Sky up. "I think we should just go back to the yard. I know I promised ice cream, but this is important."

"Ice cream later?" Sky asked, her eyes still watery with tears she refused to cry.

"Ice cream later." He promised. He led her out of the park and to his car. McGee made sure she was in and then started the car and drove back to NCIS as fast as he could without breaking any traffic laws. While in the car he called Gibbs. "Boss! It's McGee. We have a problem."

"What problem, McGee?" Gibbs' voice angrily growled over the phone.

"Me and Sky were being followed." McGee reported. "He chased us and we managed to get away. She's fine. On our way back to the Navy Yard. We have general description and a tattoo." He kept looking back at Sky who was in the backseat, nervously looking out the window.

He could hear Gibbs growl. "Get back here, ASAP."

"On it, boss." McGee replied. "Pulling into the yard now."

"I'll be there in ten minutes." Gibbs growled and hung up.

Sky looked up nervously. "I… Tim?" Tim turned around to see Sky looking at him wide eyed. "What's going on? Am I in trouble?"

"No. You aren't in trouble." He pulled into his parking spot and lead Sky to the building. McGee cleared security with Sky and led her to the bullpen where he sat her down in his chair. "Stay there." He ordered.

"O-okay." Sky stuttered. She looked at her feet and sighed. "T-Tim?"

Tim turned to look at Sky. "Yeah?"

"I'm scared." Sky admitted. McGee noticed that tears were rolling down her face again.

"Hey, shh. It's okay. You're safe here." Tim said, reaching out and hugging Sky. "Gibbs'll be back any second now."

The elevator dinged and Gibbs rushed out, as if on queue. "McGee, go get Abby or a sketch artist." He ordered, seeing his adoptive daughter crying. "I'll stay here with Sky."

McGee nodded, kissing Sky's head. "I'll be back, lion." She nodded and watched as McGee left before latching on to Gibbs.

"'S okay, kid. I got ya." Gibbs whispered to Sky. He swayed back and forth with her in his arms, trying to calm her down.

"I'm scared, Dad." She whispered. Gibbs flinched slightly at the name, but stayed the same, protecting his girl from anything that might happen. She had never called him that and didn't have any indication of her wanting to call him that.

"I know you are. You're safe here, though." Gibbs replied. The salt and pepper haired man watched the girl trembling in his arms. He placed a kiss on her head in hopes to calm her down.

"Boss!" Tony yelled, rushing into the bullpen with Ziva on his heels. "What's going on? What's the SOS for?" He saw Sky in Gibbs' arms. "Boss?"

"Go get Ducky, DiNozzo. Ziver, stay here with Sky. Comfort her. I have to go brief Vance." Gibbs ordered. He placed another kiss to Sky's head before rushing off. Tony rushed off to autopsy to get Ducky.

"Dad!" Sky cried as Gibbs left.

She tried to follow him but was held back by Ziva. "Sky, it's important you stay here and wait for Abby and Ducky." She tried to fight Ziva, but the Israeli was too strong for her.

"Dad! Gibbs! Gibbs!" She sobbed. She had tears streaming down her face. "Z-Ziva, let me see him!"

"Sky." Ziva interrupted. Sky kept yelling so Ziva tried again. "Sky!" She yelled. Sky quickly shut up and looked at Ziva, teary eyed. "Sky, look at me, tateleh." She gently cupped Sky's cheek. "Gibbs is going to make sure you are safe. He will be back soon." Sky nodded and hugged Ziva tightly.

"I'm scared." Sky hiccuped.

Ziva nodded. "I know. And we will keep you safe."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Tony Time

Sky was curled up on the floor beneath Gibbs' desk. Tony had assumed she was freaking out about what was going on with the whole chase in the park thing. He placed his coat over her shoulders and pressed his thumb to her cheek, wiping away any tears that had remained on her face after the questioning she had been through. The girl opened her eyes slightly. "Hm?" She sleepily asked.

"Go back to sleep, squirt. We've still got a few hours until you can go home." Tony cooed.

Sky curled up again and hugged the coat tightly. "Okay, Tone." She complied, closing her eyes again.

Tony looked up to see Gibbs watching him. "What're ya doin', DiNozzo?" He said, a small smirk gracing his face at Tony's brotherly instincts.

"Making sure Sky's okay." Tony replied. "She's had a rough day and I wanted to make sure she was better." The younger agent stood up and walked back to the center of the bullpen. "What's up, boss?"

"You see where Fornell went?" Gibbs asked.

"No, boss." Tony reported. "He left before any of us got back. Did you check with Vance?"

Gibbs shook his head. "He was next."

"Speakin' of Vance, what did he say? You need a protection detail for Sky?" Tony asked, worried about the girl.

Gibbs shook his head again. "As long as she's with me or one of the team is with her, she'll be fine."

"Alright, boss. Just let me know if you need anything." Tony smiled at his boss before sitting at his desk.

Gibbs sat at his chair and smiled at Sky's curled up form. She looked very peaceful, curled up under Tony's jacket with a small smile gracing her face. He took a long sip of his coffee and set the cup down. "Ay! DiNozzo!"

"Yeah, boss!" Tony said, jumping up from his seat.

"Go down to Abby's lab and get a pillow or something soft." Gibbs ordered. "Clear?"

"Crystal! Be back in ten! I'll get an update too!" Tony said, rushing off to the elevator.

Sky twitched slightly and rolled over, almost right on to Gibbs' feet. He scooted back in his chair almost far away from his desk. He watched her for a few minutes before looking up.

"McGee, Ziva, update!" He growled slightly.

"Boss, this guy knew how to hide his face from cameras. We can't run facial rec until the sketch artist gets here and Sky and I have done that." McGee said. He had been looking through cameras for the last hour and a half, trying to find the guy who was chasing them.

"I also have nothing Gibbs. Apparently, eagle tattoos are much more common than you would think." Ziva sighed, rubbing her forehead.

Gibbs snorted. "Jesus Christ." He growled. "I want to find this son of a bitch!"

"Gibbs! Gibbs! Gibbs!" Abby chirped, shuffling into the bullpen with Tony on her heels, carrying a small pillow.

"Yeah, Abbs?" Jethro asked the perky forensic scientist.

"I got something!" Abby said, bouncing up and down. Gibbs gave her the 'tell me' look and she smiled widely. "I was looking at the case file for Staff Sergeant Swift and I found a guy with an eagle tattoo on the upper arm! He matches the general description Sky and McGee gave us!" Abby grabbed the clicker from Gibbs' desk and clicked the button. "Meet former Lance Corporal Jeremiah Smith! He was one of the suspects during her murder investigation. He really hated her." The face of the man popped up on the screen.

"That's him!" McGee cried out. "That's the guy who chased us!"

Tony squatted down next to Gibbs' desk and placed the pillow under Sky's head. "Shh!" He hissed at McGee.

"Wow father chicken, much?" Ziva chuckled.

"Mother hen." McGee corrected.

"Thank you." Ziva smiled at Tim.

He nodded in reply. "I'll get a BOLO out on Smith, boss." McGee slid into his chair and picked up the receiver.

Gibbs sighed. "What does he want with Sky?" He thought.

"Gibbs? Can I do anything?" Ziva questioned of her boss.

"Run this guy down. Find me anything about him." Gibbs snarled. "Find me what he wants with my kid!"

"Do you want me to take Sky to my lab?" Abby asked quietly.

Gibbs bit his lip. "Sure." He leaned down to rub Sky's shoulder. "Hey, Sky."

"Huh?" The girl sleepily asked, rolling to see her father.

"Wanna go hang out with Abby?" He gently asked.

Sky drowsily nodded and got up, following the goth to the elevator. She was still wearing Tony's jacket, which was at least three sizes too big for her. Her fingertips barely stuck out of the sleeves.

"Come on. Bert likes a good nap buddy." Abby smiled, nudging Sky along. She winked at Gibbs and smirked.

"Okay Abby or Abbs." Sky yawned sleepily.

"Get back to work!" Gibbs growled at the remaining team members.

"Yes boss!"

Gibbs paced back and forth in his basement. It had been a long day and he needed some stress relief. He grabbed his sander and began to sand the boat. Tony had offered to take Sky for the night. Honestly, he was grateful, but still worried. He had let Tony take her, just in case Smith had wanted him instead. He took a sip of the bourbon in the mug on the workbench and set it down. It was going to be a long night.

Tony set down the plate of pasta and chicken in front of Sky. He set one down at his spot on the table and sat down. "Hey, you okay?" He asked after a few minutes of eating in silence.

Sky looked up from picking at the pasta with a fork. "Yeah. I guess." She took a bit of the pasta and sighed.

"What's wrong? We can talk. I'm a good listener." Tony said. He was worried about the kid, she looked too much like himself for him lot to.

"It's nothing, Tony." Sky huffed quietly. She bit her lip and then continued to play with the pasta.

The Italian chuckled. "It's something. You wanna call your Dad?" He asked, sliding his cell across the table.

Sky smiled at Tony. "Yeah. Thanks." She took the cellphone and found Gibbs' contact info.

As usual she was met with a _"Yeah, Gibbs."_

"Daddy?" Sky questioned quietly. "It's Sky."

 _"Hey, kiddo. What's up?"_

"I miss you tonight. Can I come home tomorrow?" Sky asked simply and to the point.

 _"Yeah. I just wanna make sure you're safe tonight. That's all, baby."_

"O-okay, Dad." Sky replied. She looked at Tony who was clearing away dishes. "Tony made me pasta for dinner. It was good. I wish you were here. You would've like it."

" _Mhm_."

"And he said I can pick the movie tonight."

" _Nothing over PG-15._ "

Sky replied knowingly. "Okay."

 _"Do you have everything? Toothbrush, pajamas, book, clothes for-"_

"Yes, Dad. I do." Sky giggled.

 _"Just makin' sure."_

"Are you sanding the boat?" Sky asked, even though she knew he probably was.

" _Yup_."

"Can we sand the boat together again?"

" _Yup_."

"Good. I like the boat, Daddy." Sky smiled, moving from the dining table to the couch and curling up.

" _We'll take it sailing when it's done._ "

Sky smiled widely. "Really?"

" _Mhm_."

She was quiet for a second and thought about what McGee had said earlier about love and the team. "I love you, Dad."

Gibbs waited a heartbeat before responding. " _I love you too, Sky. I'll come get you tomorrow, okay?"_

"Yeah! Bye!"

" _Bye, kid._ "

Sky looked up at Tony who was watching her from the doorway. She handed him the phone and he laughed. "Oh I'm having a field day, you got him to soften up."

"Only for me cause I'm his favorite." Sky teased. "Well, me and Abby. Don't tell anyone cause he needs to keep the reputation of a big bad tough guy."

Tony nodded. "Cross my heart, Sky-Le." He ruffled her hair and she laughed. "What movie do you wanna watch? I've got Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Toy Story, Mary Poppins, The Lion King, The Wizard of Oz, Home Alone, The Princess Bride, The Goonies, Back to the Future, Jurassic Park, Mean Girls, Freaky Friday, and Peter Pan from the looks of it." Tony said, cataloging part of his movie collection.

Sky remembered watching most of those movies with her parents at a younger age, so crossed all of the animated ones off her mental list. Next she decided she didn't want to watch any of the live action ones she'd seen before. Jurassic Park, Mean Girls, Freaky Friday, and Back to the Future remained. Sky automatically crossed off Mean Girls and Jurassic Park because she wasn't sure if Gibbs would approve of them. "Freaky Friday or Back to the Future." She informed Tony.

"Back to the Future is a classic, but Freaky Friday would probably make more sense to you cause it's newer." Tony explained. "I kept it around only cause Kate took me to see it. One of the guys also looks like Gibbs."

"One of the guys looks like Dad?" Sky looked at Tony confused.

"Oh yeah. Like they could be twins. There are seven other people who look like you in the world. Gibbs just happened to have a famous counterpart." Tony chuckled. "I wish I had a famous counterpart."

Sky laughed. "I'm sure you do, Tony!"

Tony held the two DVD cases in his hands. "Which one?"

"Freaky Friday!" Sky smiled. Tony smiled and slid the DVD into the player. "Oh boy!" Sky cheered, curling up next to Tony as he sat on the couch, after a quick change into pajamas for both of them.

Sky watched the movie and loved it, laughing at the guy who looked like Gibbs and how un-Gibbs like he was. Tony found it pretty hilarious too, but kept his thoughts private. Sky yawned towards the end and closed her eyes.

"Oh looks like someone's tired." He said, stroking Sky's hair.

"I'm not tired." Sky yawned again.

"I think you are, young lady. Let's get you to bed." Tony replied, nudging Sky to his bedroom. "You sleep in my bed tonight. I'll take the couch." He helped Sky into bed and tucked her in. "Night kid."

"Night Tony." She replied, rolling over and falling asleep.

Tony closed the door quietly and walked out to the living room, where he lay on the couch, watching Sports Center. Nothing exciting was really happening, just scores and stats as usual. He turned off the TV and closed his eyes, falling asleep.

Tony awoke to the sound of someone moving in his apartment and bumping into something. He immediately sat up and his hand went to where his gun should have been. He cursed himself for putting it in the safe like a smart person for once. The Italian crouched down behind the couch. "Shit. I hope Sky's okay." He thought to himself. He made his way toward the kitchen slowly and noticed his bedroom door was ajar. He turned his head peering into the kitchen only to see Sky sticking her head into the fridge, looking for food. "Oh Jesus, kid. You scared me!" Tony exhaled loudly, catching Sky's attention.

Sky bonked her head against the fridge shelf. "Oh!" She exclaimed. "Sorry Tony." She apologetically mumbled, looking down and rubbing her head. "You were sleeping and I didn't want to wake you up."

Tony smiled slightly. "Next time, just wake me up." He ruffled Sky's hair and looked at what she had on the counter. "So what's for breakfast?"

Sky smiled widely and bounced up and down a little. "Pancakes?"

"Okay. Come on. I need some coffee first." Tony started the coffee machine while Sky pulled out the last of the ingredients. Tony reached for a mug and one of the larger mixing bowls and set them on the island countertop. He poured his coffee into the mug and helped Sky get the ingredients into the bowl. She mixed them as he took a few sips of the 'SEAL milk' and hummed along to the quiet tunes of the morning radio. He made the pancakes while Sky set the table for three, just in case Gibbs showed up.

Just as Tony was setting down the plate of fluffy pancakes on the table, a knock came at the door. Sky was about to rush and open it, when Tony warned her to stop.

"Stay behind the couch. I'll tell you when it's okay." He warned her. She nodded and hid behind the couch. Tony grabbed his SIG and headed to the door, peeking through the peep hole to see Gibbs on the other side. "All clear, Sky-Le." He said as he opened the door. "Hey boss."

"Dad!" Sky yelled, crashing into Gibbs with a large bear hug before he was halfway in the door. Anyone could see how attached Sky had become to the SAIC and honestly, they all thought it was adorable.

Gibbs knelt down to Sky's height and gave her a hug in reply. "Hey." He lopsidedly smirked.

"We made pancakes!" Sky smiled, pulling her adoptive father to the dining room table. "I set three because I knew you were gonna be here!"

"You're smart, kiddo." Gibbs replied, ruffling Sky's hair.

He looked at Tony who shrugged. "Kid's got the gut like you boss." Tony handed a mug to Gibbs which was full of steaming black coffee. Gibbs nodded and took a sip of it.

"Good coffee." Gibbs grumbled. "Musta finally learned."

Tony smiled. "Yeah, I guess."

"I'm huuunnngryyyyyyy." Sky groaned. "Can we eat?"

Tony chuckled at the girl. "Yeah. Sit." He sat down and watched as Sky and Gibbs sat down. Sky took one pancake and Gibbs took two. Tony took one and doused them in maple syrup. Gibbs put sour cream on the first one, placed the other on top, and covered the small stack in syrup. Sky watched Gibbs and Tony and decided to spread sour cream on hers and drizzle syrup on top and then she placed a small square of butter.

"You're gonna have to run a mile to work off all of that." Tony commented, smirking and taking a bite of his pancake.

"I'll be fine!" Sky smiled widely. She took a large bite and licked her lips. "Thank you Tony!"

"No problem, kid." Tony replied.

Gibbs watched Tony and Sky, closely observing their mannerisms. Sky and Tony had the same twinkle in their eyes, the 'DiNozzo look' Abby had called it, as well as the same eye color. The closeness was too close for them not to be related. He had to get a DNA sample test on that. His gut was telling him something and he knew DNA could confirm it, he wasn't sure what exactly his gut was telling him, but it was something.

Abby was jamming to her music in the lab, tapping her hands as the DNA Gibbs had her run was finishing up. The machine beeped and she smirked, grabbing the results from the printer. As if on cue, Gibbs walked in, Caf-POW! in hand. "Whatcha got Abbs?"

"Wow Gibbs! You knew when the results were ready!" Abby smiled, taking the Caf-POW! from Gibbs and slurping it. She handed him the paper. "What was this about?"

"Nothing important, Abbs. Just a little comparison for personal purposes." Gibbs sighed, looking down at the paper.

His gut was right.

Skylar Leona Gibbs was a DiNozzo.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Hidden Blood

Gibbs dropped the paper and watched it flutter to the floor. He couldn't believe it. Sky was a DiNozzo. How was this possible? How did no one know? She had living family the whole time.

"Gibbs? Gibbs?" Abby asked, picking up the paper. "What's wrong?"

Gibbs sighed. "Nothing. The results just shocked me."

Abby furrowed her eyebrows. "What? It was just some DNA markers from two samples Gibbs. They were similar enough to be family... Who were they?"

"No use hiding it." Gibbs looked at Abby and sighed. "Sky and Tony."

Abby gasped. "No one knew? What? Gibbs this is huge!"

Gibbs nodded. "You know when you said DiNozzo has that glint in his eye? I saw it in Sky. The same one." He still was trying to process the information on his own, but he needed to talk to Tony before anything else. Abby stood there in shock. He figured he should say something to her. "Abbs. Do not breathe a word. To anyone." He folded up the paper and shoved it in his pocket.

"Breathe a word about what?"

"Exactly." Gibbs kissed Abby on the cheek and walked toward elevator. He walked into the squad room and sat at his desk. Sky was at home today, feeling slightly sick from a bug she caught. Jimmy was watching her all day. Tony had been glad it wasn't his pancakes from earlier in the week.

"Hey boss!" Tony said cheerfully, looking up from his cold case. Gibbs glared at Tony, to which Tony shut up and looked right back at his work. McGee and Ziva shared a quick glance of worry, but went back to work. It was quiet, almost too quiet in the bullpen that day. No giggles from Sky or movie references from Tony, heck not even a messed up idiom from Ziva! Even if someone was brand new, they could have told you someone was up. Gibbs couldn't handle it anymore.

"DiNozzo!" He barked. Tony uneasily got up and skidded toward Gibbs' desk.

"Yes boss?" Tony asked.

Gibbs took the paper from his pocket and shoved it at Tony. "Read that. My handwriting at the bottom." He pointed to the pen writing.

"DNA belongs to Anthony D. DiNozzo Jr and..." Tony looked up at Gibbs, confused. "Skylar Leona Swift-Booker Gibbs." He looked at Gibbs, shaking slightly. "W-what is this? Is this a practical joke, boss?" Tim and Ziva both looked up, confused.

"No." Gibbs growled. "Do you know anything? That you two were related?"

Tony searched his boss's eyes for anything. "No! Honest to god! I didn't have a DiNozzo that I knew of! I never wanted another DiNozzo in the family anyway!" He stormed out, heading out the stairs.

Gibbs sighed as he watched Tony leave. "Boss?" McGee asked.

"Leave it Tim." Gibbs growled.

"But boss-" Tim tried to speak again.

"I said leave it!" Gibbs yelled.

"Dad?"

Gibbs turned to see Sky, pale and shaking. "Sky what are you-" She ran off, teary eyed as fast as she could. "Sky!" Gibbs called, but she ignored him. "Christ." Gibbs growled, slapping himself on the back of the head. "Why was she here McGee? Palmer's supposed to have her at home." Tim remained quiet out of fear as his boss spoke to him. "McGee speak!"

"Jimmy had to pick up some pepto for Sky and he figured he might as well grab the paperwork he needed to catch up on." Tim nervously rambled. "Jimmy got caught up in autopsy with Ducky and-" Gibbs cut the techie off with a glare.

Ziva was already up. "I will go find Sky."

"Stay." Gibbs growled. Gibbs knew that he should go find her himself, but he couldn't bring himself to it. "She needs to blow off steam. And so does DiNozzo." He watched as Ziva sat back down and buried his his head in his hands. "I forgot how hard parenting could be." He groaned to himself.

Tony threw himself down on the couch at his apartment. He rubbed his eyes tiredly. Something wasn't right.

Why did Senior not tell him he had other family? Had Senior not known?

Jesus, he needed a drink. Tony grabbed a beer from the fridge and popped it open, taking a large gulp.

 _Senior. I should call Senior. Jeez, I'll need another drink before I do that._ He thought, taking another gulp and picking up his phone.

Sky found herself under the table in one of the interrogation rooms. She sniffled and let out a quiet sob.

She was related to Tony. Tony didn't want her as part of the family. Gibbs might as well've been trying to get rid of her. He probably hated her and wanted to push her off on to someone else.

Her stomach lurched again. She was unsure if it was from the bug she caught or from the fear and anxiety she felt. She rubbed her eyes to wipe away the tears and sighed. Her green eyes closed and she took a deep breath.

All she knew was that she was scared.

After about an hour, Gibbs stood up from his desk and walked around the building, trying to find Sky. He found her, knees pulled up to her chest with big tears in her eyes, in interrogation two.

Gibbs crouched down, wincing slightly when he heard his knees pop. Gosh, did he hate that he was getting older by the minute. "Sky? What's wrong?"

The girl looked up at him. "Nothing." She sniffled. Her head made its way back to its perch on her knees.

Gibbs sighed. Of course she was going to be indirect and avoid everything. "Tell me what's wrong." He said, reaching out and rubbing her back.

Sky took a shaky breath and began to collect her thoughts. "T-Tony said he d-didn't want me i-in the family. H-he hates me." She sniffled. "A-and you were t-trying to get r-rid of me." Her eyes filled with tears again and a few rolled down her slightly pink face.

Gibbs pulled Sky close to him as he sat down completely. "Hey, I won't ever try to get rid of you, baby." He kissed Sky's head and rubbed her shoulders gently. "And Tony just needs some time. He wasn't expecting this. I wasn't either." He admitted.

Sky burrowed her head into Gibbs' chest. "You still love me?"

"Yup."

Sky curled up in Gibbs' arms and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry Daddy."

"You've got nothing to be sorry for, Sky." Gibbs whispered. "If anything I should be sorry and Tony should be sorry." He truthfully said. "How's your tummy?"

"It's still hurting a little." Sky admitted. The girl pressed her head into Gibbs' chest with a sigh.

"You wanna go home? Jimmy'll take you home. I have to finish here but I'll be done by dinner time, okay?" Gibbs quietly added as he kissed Sky's head.

Sky nodded and sighed. "I'm sorry, Dad. I love you."

"You've got nothing to be sorry about." Gibbs assured Sky, rubbing her back. "I love you too. Let's get Palmer to take you home."

Sky nodded again and pressed her head gently against Gibbs' chest. "And I'll talk to Tony too. We'll figure this out, as a family." He stood up and helped Sky up. He led her to the bullpen, though he was sure she knew the way by now.

Jimmy stood in the bullpen, pacing back and forth. "I'm really sorry, Gibbs!" He quickly said. "I didn't mean to at all but you know Doctor Mall-" he was cut off by a glare and decided to just give it up.

"I wanna go home Jimmy. My tummy hurts." Sky whined.

"Okay. Let's go." Jimmy said, taking her hand and walking her to the elevator. "We can watch Home Alone or something."

Gibbs made sure they were out of sight before he looked at McGee. "McGee. Track DiNozzo for me."

"He's at his apartment." McGee announced.

"I'll go." Ziva announced, standing up, grabbing her bag.

"No. You two stay here." Gibbs growled. "I'm going. Work the cold cases."

"Yes boss." "Yes Gibbs." Came the two replies.

"Call me if you need something." Gibbs stated, stalking off to the elevator. Tim and Ziva just exchanged looks before getting back to work.

Tony was lying on the couch, contemplating what Senior had told him, when he heard a knock on his door. He sighed and got up, setting his half empty bottle of beer on the table. It had been the same bottle of beer he only opened when he got home about an hour and a half ago. He was surprised to see who he did when he opened the door.

"B-Boss, I-" Tony stuttered.

"Sit." Gibbs commanded. Tony sat back on his couch. "We need to have a family discussion."

"F-Family?" Tony asked, gulping.

Gibbs rolled his eyes. "Family." He knew Tony had some insecurities about family and that was the probable cause for his outbursts earlier. "You come to my place later. We'll have dinner and we'll talk. Okay?"

"Yes, boss." Tony nodded. "Senior told me by the way." Gibbs looked at Tony with a confused face. "My niece. Sky's my niece. The Staff Sergeant was my half-sister. An affair, obviously."

Gibbs nodded, almost knowingly. "He knew the whole time?"

"Only once Swift turned twenty." DiNozzo looked down and sighed. "I'm sorry for what I said earlier it was stupid and wrong."

Gibbs got up and walked to the door. "Don't tell me. Tell your niece that."

Tony looked up and a small smile poked at the sides of his lips. "I will, boss. I will."

Gibbs nodded with a small smirk, closing the door behind him before he heard the cry of happiness of: "I've got a niece!". He knew Tony was going be a good uncle and Sky was going to be so happy.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Meeting Jeter and Mom

Gibbs returned home at 1748 to see Sky curled up on the couch watching The Lion King yet again. Her eyes were barely open as she watched the scene where Simba and Nala had just reunited. He walked over to the couch and placed a kiss on her head before walking into the kitchen to see Jimmy placing a bag of chicken stock in the freezer.  
"Oh, hi, Gibbs. I had some left over from earlier and I figured for an upset stomach, chicken stock might help." Jimmy explained. The young ME was expecting an angry glare, but instead got a nod of approval. "See you on Monday, Agent Gibbs. Bye, Sky. Feel better." He said, grabbing his things and walking out the door. Gibbs pulled three chicken breasts out of the fridge and placed them in a pan.  
"Dad?" Sky called. "You missed our song!" The brunette watched Gibbs through the entrance to the kitchen.  
"You can rewind it and we can watch it later." Gibbs replied. He took some potatoes and placed them into the oven. "Tony's coming over for dinner tonight. We're having a family conversation. Okay?"  
Sky nodded. "Is he better?" She had been worried about him because he practically blurted out he didn't want her in his family.  
"Much." Gibbs replied monosyllabically. He watched as Sky readjusted on the couch and leaned on one of the arms. Gibbs had been sleeping on the couch less and less as Sky had moved in. He started sleeping in his bed again if she had nightmares, which wasn't uncommon.  
Sky was barely visible under the blanket except for her face which was poking out in the direction of the TV. She poked her head out a bit more when she heard the door open.  
"Tony?" Asked Gibbs.  
"Yeah!" Tony called back. He looked over to the couch to see the pre-teen human burrito and chuckled. "Hey, Sky." Tony smiled, walking over to Sky and sitting next to her on the couch.  
Sky ignored Tony mostly. She watched the movie with great intent of avoiding Tony's eye contact. She still felt awkward being around him after what had happened earlier.  
Tony looked at the TV. "The Lion King? You know the other day your dad was humming Hakuna Matata at a crime scene." He chuckled, hoping to get a laugh or a reaction out of Sky.  
"It's our song." Sky deadpanned. She looked over to Tony and sighed. "Tony?" She asked.  
"Mhm." Tony responded. He watched Sky shuffle into a sitting position.  
She looked at Gibbs in the kitchen and the right back to Tony. "Do you still love me still?"  
Tony was shocked at the girl's quiet and fear filled tone. "Of course I do, Sky-Le. I just... My dad, your grandpa I guess, he slept around a lot and I guess I wasn't expecting a sibling. I never knew I had one. Senior treated me so badly that I never wanted someone else to know what it was like." Tony explained. He never thought he would express his feelings about family - to his newly discovered eleven year old niece, at that. "I just didn't want you to get hurt."  
Sky looked at Tony with big green eyes. "So you don't hate me?"  
Tony pulled her close and kissed her forehead. "I could never." He held her against his chest and she nuzzled his chest with her face. He felt as if all of this was natural and it had been going on since Sky had been born. A niece; a real blood relative; a family member was what Tony had gained. He stroked her hair gently and closed his eyes, letting himself relax.  
Gibbs stuck his head through the kitchen entrance and saw Tony and Sky curled up on the couch together. He smiled and continued to pan fry the chicken. Since Sky had come to live with him he started cooking dinner at home more often. Turns out, he wasn't half bad at cooking.  
Sky looked up at Tony and smiled. Tony looked at ease and much younger with his eyes closed and a small smile. She closed her eyes and listened to her uncle's heartbeat. She hadn't done that since her father had died. His heartbeat was slow and calming, similar to that of her mother's.  
"Dinner's ready you two. Come on." Gibbs called. Sky and Tony were up in a heartbeat, scrambling to the table. Baked potato and chicken were on three plates, each at a different spot on the table.  
"DiNozzos don't mess around with food, especially homemade food." Tony's voice chirped when Sky asked he was so happy to eat, cutting Gibbs out of his thoughts. "Thank you boss for this meal." Tony praised before taking a large bite of his chicken.  
"Thank you Dad!" Sky giggled. She pressed a kiss to his cheek before taking a bite.  
Gibbs gave his signature lopsided smirk and blinked, watching the two again. The similarities became more and more obvious as he watched them. Eyes were close to the same color, Sky's hair would probably become a color more similar to Tony's considering what her parents looked like, and she would definitely become more tan with age. There were many difference though, as well. Sky's nose and facial structure, except for the smile, seemed to be from other family. Her awkward somewhat, but not very, tall height seemed to come from other family, considering DiNozzo was plenty tall.  
Tony looked up at Gibbs with a smile. "Hey, boss. Mind if I take the day off tomorrow with Sky?" Sky looked up with glinting green eyes.  
"Sure." Came Jethro's reply after a few seconds. Her eyes widened and smiled widely. "Have her back by 2100."  
Tony smiled wider than he already had been. "Yeah! Okay."  
If Sky had a tail she would have been wagging it a hundred miles an hour. "Thank you Dad!" She leaned over and kissed Gibbs' cheek.  
"We'll have a lot of fun. I promise. We can do whatever you want." Tony chirped. Gibbs sent him a small glare. "Within reason, that is." Gibbs nodded slightly, which cause Sky to giggle.  
"You can go hang out at work, Dad! We promise not to cause trouble!" Sky added.  
Gibbs snorted. "It's not you I'm worried about, kiddo. It's Mr. Plague, I'm worried about."  
Tony chuckled at the nickname. "I'll be fine. We'll both take our inhalers, boss." He looked down at his lap for a second and then back up. "And I'll behave. If I don't Gibbs Jr. can give me a love tap."  
Sky laughed. "Love taps? I'm sure they hurt Tone." She smiled as Gibbs gently tapped the back of her head. "See, he does it gently to me."  
"Yeah, I see." Tony replied. He finished up his piece of chicken and sighed. "That was really great Gibbs. You aren't a half bad cook." Gibbs nodded, laconic as usual. "Next time, I'm making Italian. So Sky here can learn about her heritage."  
"I'm also Turko-Tatar! I know how to make Turkish food a little." The kid chirped.  
"Well one of these days we'll get everyone to make one thing and we can have a potluck!" Tony added. He was excited to see the sparkle in Sky's eyes. He couldn't wait to see them tomorrow.

Sky bounced around Tony, a large smile on her face. "I can't believe brought me to a Orioles-Yankees game!" She chirped. The Yankees had long been her favorite team and as it turned out, Tony had liked them when he was growing up in New York.  
"You'll like our seats too. That's why we had to leave so early." Tony smirked. He had gotten them seats right behind the Yankees dugout, the visitors dugout. "You have your glove, right?"  
"Yup!" Sky smiled, showing the glove. Tony had his and several baseballs along with a sharpie in his backpack. As they stepped into Oriole Park, Sky's eyes lit up a large smile spreading on her face. "Where're we sitting?"  
"Right behind the Yankees dugout." Tony smirked. If he thought Sky couldn't be more excited, he would be wrong.  
"Oh my God, Tony! You're the best uncle ever!" She said, leaping on to him in a hug. "I love you so much!"  
The Italian felt pride and happiness well up in his chest. "Love you too, kid." He chuckled. "Come on, let's go see if we can get you a Derek Jeter ball." Sky laughed and followed behind Tony toward a day she would never forget.

Sky smiled, stumbling into the car laughing. "I- I can't believe he almost dropped a hot dog on you!"  
"At least he didn't ruin my DiMaggio jersey." Tony scoffed. "At least you got a Jeter ball, kid. That's a keeper." He put his cap on Sky's head and smiled. "I had the best day with you."  
"I did too! But… can we do one more thing? Please?" Sky begged of Tony. She knew he wouldn't say no to what she wanted to ask.  
"Sure." Tony nodded. He put his keys in the ignition and started the car. "Where to?"  
"Quantico?" Sky replied. "I wanna introduce you to your sister, my mom." She looked at Tony and saw that he nodded in compliance.  
"Alright."  
The drive to Quantico was pretty much silent, Sky twiddling her thumbs and not even singing along to the music.  
When they pulled into the Marine cemetery at Quantico, Sky instructed Tony where to go. Eventually they made it and Sky got out of the car, making a mad dash that Tony couldn't keep up with. When the older man saw Sky again he saw her crouched by a tombstone, holding it as if it would disappear.  
"Hey Enne. I miss you." He could hear Sky saying. "I got a new family now. You remember Agent Gibbs? The one who worked your case? He adopted me. And the guy everyone said looked like you, Tony? He's your half-brother. Ebe always said I'd meet your papa and his family someday. She was right. Tony's great. He took me to the Yankees game today." Sky said, taking a deep breath. She wiped her eyes, trying not to cry. "He got us seats right behind the Yankees dugout. I got a Jeter ball and an A-Rod ball. It was a lot of fun. I'm wearing your old Jeter jersey. I miss you. I like to think you miss me too." She quietly added.  
Tony took a few steps closer, crouching next to Sky. "Aren't you gonna introduce me?" He asked the girl.  
"Enne, this is Tony, your big brother. Tony this is Staff Sergeant Talia Swift, my mom." She said, introducing Tony to the tombstone.  
Tony reached out and grabbed Sky's hand. "Nice to meet you lil sis. I would've liked to know you. Your daughter's a smart lil squirt. You did good, kid." He acknowledged.  
Sky looked over at Tony. "Thank you, Tony. It means a lot to me that you did this."  
Tony dropped a kiss to Sky's head. "Anything for family." He brushed away a few small tears from Sky's face. He gently tugged the metal chain around Sky's neck, which he had never really noticed before. He noticed that they were attached to a pair of dog tags. He thumbed with the tags gently and looked back at Sky. "Talia Layla Swift." He quietly mumbled, taking in the name. "I love you little sis."  
"I love you Enne." He heard Sky whisper. He dropped the tags and they dangled from around Sky's neck. After a few minutes of silence, she stood up and sighed. "I'm ready to go home."  
Tony stood up as well, taking Sky under his arm. "Yeah. How about we make Gibbs some lasagna?" He asked as they walked to the car.  
"Yeah. Yeah, okay."


End file.
